30,823 discussions, 145 guides
University of Kent
30,823 discussions, 145 guides
University of Kent
University of Kent at Canterbury
Canterbury
Kent
CT2 7NZ
Tel: +44 (0)1227 827 272
1965
UKC Radio
The station covers the whole campus and plays mostly requests. It is not always on the air.
Kred
This is a monthly magazine which carries topical articles and interviews. There is also some ents information. The issues tackled are mainly local but some national stories get covered. The mag varies in how political it is and has been on an upward trend lately.
The main plans are to get the SU out of the pit of despair in which it has been languishing for some time. The amount and quality of activity is going up and the profile of the union is being increased.
Alan Davies - aka Jonathan Creek
Gavin Esler - News man
The SU runs two bars and a club. The main SU bar and club was recently refurbished and is open during the day as a pool hall and chill out zone. It also serves pretty decent student food.
At night the pool hall area is transferred into a 1200 capacity club and the bar is left as a quieter venue where people can drink and talk. Both of these are used regularly by the students. They are good but the paucity of entertainment in Canterbury probably helps.
Park Wood is a student accommodation village and the bar here has a more "pubby" atmosphere. Given that international students are usually housed at Park Wood, they form a major part of the clientele.
Plenty of functions at Kent. Monday is a big sports night, it's Wednesday everywhere else but Kent is just different, OK? Wednesday is drum and bass night instead. Both are pretty popular but the biggest nights are the weekends. Fridays are very dance orientated with DJ's and the like, Saturdays are as cheesy as can be. On the whole the policy for music is well organised and well directed.
Kent and Canterbury Christ's college combine their powers for the main summer ball. In the past it proved an area where the SU were heavily criticised - the balls were held off-campus and usually lost money.
Now, however, the summer ball is much improved and has been held on campus in the last few years. There is a decent range of music to suit all tastes. The only downside is the £40 ticket price, but this is not bad compared to other universities.
A good selection of clubs and socs should cater for all tastes and persuasions. Well almost all...
100
Accommodation at Kent has improved in recent years. Having had little, if any, refurbishment since the 70's, the university decided to have a go. Most halls have now had a lick of paint, new carpets and better furniture which is a relief...the 1970s theme was wearing thin!
Halls are catered and have shared corridors and kitchenettes with microwaves. These are only supposed to be used for making tea and heating quick snacks but given that food will set you back an extra £6 a day, they often get used for more. The downside is that microwave meals 150 days in a row is very, very boring.
The collegiate system at Kent (4 colleges and 2 subsidiaries) has a significant role in social life. The university has tried to reduce this but the SU wants to maintain the atmosphere and is working with the accommodation managers, UKC Hospitality, to promote college-based activities. The colleges already have JCR's and JCR committees who organise some events. This can get a bit confusing.
After the first year Canterbury is nice but accommodation is limited and expensive. Herne Bay and Whitstable are alternatives but there are quite far away. Finding somewhere is not that hard but as one union president put it, 'There's a lot that's shit and a lot that's nice.'
Canterbury is one of Britain's most famous cathedral towns, attracting huge numbers of tourists and visitors annually. Surprisingly, the range of late night and new bars is very limited, as there are strict noise controls imposed by the city council. With a bit of inside knowledge you can find the fun though. Simple Simon's is a popular pub with live music and clubs worth a look are The Biz and Club Airlock, which caters for alternative tastes.
The number of tourists and Canterbury's massive number of foreign students, have added to the cosmopolitan image of the city but there are some racial tensions and a generally snooty attitude from many locals. All the tradition can be great though and drinking in some of Canterbury's ancient pubs on a summer day is very pleasant. Watch out for the massive hill on the walk back up to the university though.
In partnership with the Mid-Kent college the University has opened a new spin-off called the University of Kent at Medway. The campus is in Horsted and the courses taught there are mostly HND and Diploma. Horsted is pretty quiet and its goal is to raise educational standards in the local area.
There is plenty of parking on campus but you are better off without a car in the first year. Many students from later years find them useful though. Forget about the town, restrictions, narrow streets and tourist prices make it a no go zone.
There is a Natwest and a Barclays on campus and enough cash machines.
Not too bad. Many of the buildings are fairly new so had wheelchair access built in. There is a dedicated advisor on hand.
The shop at the Park Wood student village is out of date and pretty crap. The main SU shop is better and has some cheap food and stationery. There are also branches of Endsleigh insurance and STA travel and there are plans for a pharmacy.
There is a Blackwells on site.
There are around 40 sports clubs so players won't be bored. There are loads of sports fields and pitches, which are all of a good standard.
Other facilties include a brand new sports centre with a fully equiped dance studio, a gym with the latest equipment and a separate weight room. Then, once you've burnt off all the extra weight, you can put it all back on again in the cafe, which sells a pretty good hot chocolate!
There is a late night minibus.
The whole campus is pretty green and it has ben cited as one of the major reasons many people choose UKC. Outside of campus there is stacks of Darling Buds of May-style idyllic countryside and the coast nearby. Perfick.
The main Templeman library has most of the books and colleges have smaller collections of their own. Unlike many universities UKC students make very good use of the local municipal library where staff are very accommodating.
24hrs and allegedly some of the best around. The fact that Kent has a big computing department probably helps.
A good 24hr counselling service and a medical centre.
